Feeding



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G. MBE. FEEDING APPLIANCE FOR SAW MILLS. No. 251,269. Patented Dec. 20,1881.

N. PETERS. Phowutm ra ner. Waxhington. D. c

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' 3 Shets-Sheet 2. G. MEE.

FEEDING APPLIANCE FOR sAw MILLS.

Patented Dec. 20,1881. 1

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G. MBE.

v FEEDING APPLIANCE FOR SAW MILLS. No. 251,269. Patented Dec. 20,1881.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GILBERT MEE, OF MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALEXANDER RODGERS, OF SAME PLACE.

FEEDING APPLIANCE FOR SAW-MILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 251,269, dated December 20, 1881. Application filed August 15, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GILBERT MEE,acitizen of Great Britain, residing at Muskegon, in the county of Muskegon and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeding Appliances for Saw-Mills; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,re2erence being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to that class of appliances used in saw-mills for the purpose of imparting a reciprocating movement to the logcarriage by the direct action of a piston reciprocating within a suitable steam cylinder, the object being to obtain the desired longitudinal movement of the log-carriage from a much shorter stroke of the steam-piston and at the same time prevent danger of breakage to any part of the mechanism when the movement of the piston is suddenly reversed by causingits attachments to the log-carriage to be of such a nature that they will readily yield to any unusual strain and afterward automatically readjust themselves to their position and tension; and the invention consists, essentially, in the combination, with alog-carriage and the steam cylinder and piston by which it is reciprocated, of weighted or spring-attached ropes running over suitable sheaves and connecting the piston-rod and carriage, in the manner hereinafter fully described, and specifically stated in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus complete. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on the line 00 0c of Fig.1. Fig. 3 is a plan of the piston-rod and cross-head, with a part of the track upon which it reciprocates. Fig. 4 shows a modification of the apparatus in which the steam-cylinder is placed beneath the floor of the mill. Fig. 5 is a side and plan view of a modification of the cross-head and its sheaves, by which a side draft is avoided.

In the steam-feed appliances as heretofore commonly constructed the steam-piston has a length of stroke equal to the whole movement ofthe carriage. This necessitates the use of a steam-cylinder of even greater length, as the thickness of the piston and its clearance at both ends must be added to the stroke to make up the length of the cylinder. Great difficulry has been experienced in boring these cylinders of great length and'small diameter, and a further difficulty, which becomes apparent in the use of the apparatus, consists in the many breaks and accidents that occurfrom the sudden stoppage and reversal of the movement of the log-carriage. The piston-rod in these machines being generally connected directly to the log-carriage, the momentum of thelatter causes a heavy strain upon the mechanism at each reversal of its movement, to avoid which the arrangement of mechanism which we will now describe has been adopted.

A represents the log-carriage of a saw-mill running upon the tracksaa in the usual manner. Between these tracks a a is placed the steam-cylinder B, receiving its steam from any suitable generator and provided with the necessary valves for the admission and exit of the steam at both ends, said valves being so connected and arranged that by the movement of asingle lever the sawyer may control the movement of the piston within the cylinder; but as these valves and their connections are in common use a detailed description of them is not considered necessary.

To the outer end of the piston-rod O of the cylinder B is attached a bifurcated cross-head, 0, having in each bifurcation a journal-bearing, in which rotates the short shaft 1). Loosely secured upon this shaft, and revolving thereon between the ends of the cross-head, are two sheaves, c 0, while the projecting ends of the shaft carry the track-wheels c c, which travel upon the guide-tracks b b, causing the crosshcad and devices which it carries to preserve a correct rectilinear movement during their reciprocations.

It will be apparent that, if desired, the shaft 12 may be fixed to the cross-head and the sheaves and track-wheels both allowed to revolve thereon; but I prefer the revolving shaft with trackwheels firmly attached thereto.

Connected to the log-carriage near its opposite ends are the ropes d and d, the first serving to feed the carriage forward as the saw makes its out, while the other, at, gigs back the carriage after the out has been made. These ropes are both carried to the cross-head and pass over the sheaves c c in opposite directions, returning in a line parallel with that part of the same rope leading from the end of the carriage to a point opposite that which the carriage reaches at the end of its reciprocations. At this point the ropes pass over the sheaves c e and are attached to hanging weights D or suitable springs, D, it being necessary that the weight or spring-whichever is usedshould be of sufficient capacity to counteract the strain put upon the ropes in the ordinary movements of the carriage, butthat they shall give slightly and relieve the'strain when the carriage move ment is reversed, or when from any other cause astrain greater than ordinary is put upon them.

It will be obvious that when springs are used the sheaves 0 0 may be dispensed with, as the springs will work as well in a horizontal as vertical positiom The operation of the machine will be clearly understood from an inspection of Fig. 1 of the drawings, in which it will be seen that when the piston and cross-head move to the right the sheave upon the latter, 0 ver which the feedrope d passes, carries the feed-rope with it, and as the weight at the lower extremity of the feedrope allows but a limited movement, and that only under excessive strains, it follows that the log-carriage is forced toward the saw at a speed double that of the piston, consequently allowing the latter a longitudinal movement equal to one-half the movement of the log-carriage, and of course enabling a steam-cylinder of about one-half the length of the whole movement of the logcarriage to do the work. When the cross-head moves to the left it acts upon the gig-rope d in the same manner as upon the feed-rope when moving in the opposite direction, and thus reverses the movement of the carriage.

In Fig. 4 is shown an arrangement by means of which the steam-cylinder may be placed beneath the timbers which support the floor of the mill, and thus avoid the loss of strength to the mill-frame caused by cutting them to place the cylinder in proper position above them, the

large sheaves f f actin g as guide-pulleys to conduct the feed and gig ropes to the cross-head.

Fig 5 shows a modification of the cross-head, in which three sheaves are used instead of two, in using which either the feed or gig rope is duplicated and passes over the two outside sheaves, the middle sheave being occupied by the single rope. By this arrangement all side draft upon the cross-head is avoided, the strain of both feed and gig ropes coming in a direct line upon the cross-head and piston-rod.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, the following:

1. In feed appliances for saw-mills, the combination of a steam cylinder and piston, having a shorter stroke than thelongitudinal movement of the log-carriage,with said carriage and the system of weigh ted or spring-attached feed and gig ropes arranged, as described, for the purpose of impartin g a reciprocating movement to the carriage, as set forth.

2. In feed appliances for saw-mills, a steamcylinder, placed beneath the log-carriage and provided with piston, piston-rod, and a bifurcated cross-head, carrying the sheaves c c and guiding-track wheels 0 c, for the purpose of imparting a reciprocating movement to said log-carriage, in the manner described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GILBERT MEE.

\Vituesses R0131. E. BUNKER, HUBBARD PARKER. 

